Football Season Guide

A poor second half of the season saw them finish mid-table which in the end will have disappointed St. Pauli, considering they were right up with the front runners before the winter break. Coach Jos Luhukay would have hoped for more signings in the summer to build his own squad but it hasn’t quite worked out that way for the Dutchman who only joined the club in April. He will be hoping new boy Borys Tashchy will add a finishing touch to a team relatively shy on goals last season. Rico Benatelli has been brought in from Dresden in the centre midfield, possibly as a replacement for regular Jeremy Dudziak who’s left for Hamburger SV. Luca Zander has now signed permanently at right-back so they will be glad to get that deal done. Ostigard has recently been brought in on loan from Brighton and could become a key figure at the back. Attacking midfielder Niclas Nadj and right winger Aurel Loubongo-M’Boungou have both been promoted to the first team via the U19’s and will be itching to get game time. St. Pauli have a manager with a proven track record in at this level and should be an organised outfit especially defensively. The lack of recruitment during the summer may become a problem as the season goes on. Goals could become an issue also as Diamantakos,Tashchy and Veerman have hardly been prolific in recent seasons.